Drainage ditch equipment



March 9, 1948. Nl J, SCHUSTER 2,437,273' I DRAINAGE DITCH EQUIPMENT Filed Feb. 28,- 1945 Sheets-Sheet` 2 I N V EN TOR.

Patented Mar. 9, i948 A Nicholas J. Schuster, sagten, Minn.

Application February 28, 1945, Serial No. 580,1 15

3 Claims. (Cl. 212-59) This invention relates to earth moving lm- Y plements and more particularly to apparatus for digging ditches such as drainage ditches.

It is an object of the invention to provide a device which is adapted to be connected to a tractor and which 'includes an elongated boom havingv an excavating bucket thereon wherein means is provided for supporting a considerable portion of theweight of the boom and the bucket with its load independently of the tractor.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the type mentioned above wherein boom elevating and horizontal shifting means is included and is so related to the tractor connection and the boom that said boom can be shifted horizontally and vertically relative to the tractor and the tractor connection,

A further object of theinvention is to provide apparatus shiftable inthe above described man-v ner in combination with means for maintaining the excavating bucket or other implement in a proper load carrying position during elevation of the boom and regardless of relative positions of the boom and the -tractor to which it is connected.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the views, and, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Figure 3 is a perspective View of the forward end of the device.

The apparatus includes a cross bar I having a pair of uprights II extending vertically therefrom. Each upright II adjacent its upper end is provided with a clamping unit I2 by means of which the uprights can be connected to a suitable part of the tractor such as the rear axle housing I3 shown in Figures 1 and 2. lIhe cross member I6 extends beyond the uprights II and has an undercarriage arm I4 pivotally connected to each end and extending rearwardly therefrom. The rear ends of the arms I4 are connected by an axle I5 upon which are mounted wheels I6.

Extending rearwardly from the cross member I0 isa pair of spaced arms Il which are connected at their rear ends to a cross member I8. Braces I9 connect the upper ends of the uprights II with `the rear ends of the arms I1. An upper cross member 26 connects the upper ends of the uprights II.

A U-shaped yoke 2I has its bridge portion con- 55 nected to the cross member I8 by a vertical pivot 22 and has its legs extending rearwardly. To the rear end of each leg of the yoke 2| is connected a boom arm 23 by means of horizontal pivots 24.

vr'A pair of uprights 25 are connected rigidly to the end portions of the yoke 2I and extend above and below said yoke. The boom arms 23 extend rearwardly a considerable distance and are connected in spaced relation by a cross bar 26. A pair of rear uprights 21 are mounted on the cross bar 26 and adapted to pivot relative to the boom arms 23. Stabilizer rods or cables 28 are connected between the upper ends of the forward boom uprights 25 and the rear boom uprights 2'1A on respective sides of the boom assembly.

Extending diagonally upwardly and rearwardly from the upper ends of the frame uprights II are converging members 29 which are pivotally connected to said frame uprights I I by horizontal pivots 30. Braces 3I extend downwardly fromv the members 29 to the rear ends of the undercarriage arms I4.

A strap 32 extends rearwardly from the center of the cross member 20 which connects the upper ends of the frame uprights II. A pair of converging bracing arms 33 extend from a vertical pivotal connection with the rear end of the strap 32 to the rear ends of the horizontalshift-v able yoke 2|.

Extending rearwardly from the lower ends of the rear boom uprights 21 is a U-shaped bucket frame 35 and braces 36 extend from the rear side portions of the frame 35 to the upper ends of the rear boom uprights 21, An excavating bucket 31 is pivotally mounted at 38 to the U-shaped bucket frame 35, and said bucket is adapted to be dumped by any suitable means such as a cable 39 connected to the rear end of the bucket. The cable, of course, leads forwardly to the tractor so that it can be pulled by the operator thereof.

Extending rearwardly from the main cross member I0 and inside of the under carriage arms I4 are spaced bars 40 which are connected at their rear ends to the arms I4 by means of chains 4I.

A tractor power takeoif shaft 42 extends rearwardly from the tractor differential 43 and is connected by belts 44 to a transmission shaft 45y which is suitably supported by the connector frame Il, I8. A cross shaft 46 extends between the connector frame arms or members I'I and carries a drum or reel 4l upon which is wound a cable 48 which in turn is connected to a spacer 49 mounted between the boom arms 23. A combined clutch and brake mechanism 50 connects the shafts 45 and 49 and a similar mechanism 5| connects the cross shaft it with a shaft which is Supported by the connector frame unit 11, i8 and also the main cross member I9. A cable 53 has a few turns thereof wound about the shaft 52. The cable extends about pulleys 54 and E5 on the under carriage arms lll and the ends of the cable 53 are connected to the forward ends of the boom arms 23. The details of the power shafts and transmission and braking mechanisms are not shown since they are more or less conventional. However, it will be understood that the trans-mission mechanisms yEil and l can be independently controlled so that the drum 11 and the cable shaft 52 can be selectively operated.

Rotation of the drum el will cause the boomY assembly to raise or lower and rotation of the ,s

` nection between said frame and said boom oper- Y able to shift said boom horizontally, and said shaft 52 will swing the boom in a horizontal plane to the right or left.

With apparatus such as shown and described it is possible to effectively dig a trench or ditch. When the unit is moved forwardly with the bucket 31 in a dirt gathering position the bucket can be lled and the boom which supports the bucket can then be elevated and swung to either side to permit dumping of the dirt conveniently at one or both sides of the ditch line, Y

The under carriage including the arms M, `axis I5 and wheels IE supports the braces 3i and conn verging members 29 which carry the cable 9 and consequently support most or" the weight of the boom assembly and bucket. Therefore, when the tractor is moving ov-er the ground and there is a change in ground contour the under carriage sulported by the wheels I9 can absorb the weight of the boom assembly and thus relieve the strain on the connections between the boom and the tractor. The brace members 33 and strap 32 act as strengthening and stabilizing means for the boom yoke 2| and it will be noted that the shaft 34 connecting the braces 33 to the strap 32 and the pivot 22 of the boom yoke 2l are in vertical alignment to permit free horizontal swinging movement of the boom assembly.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the Vform, details, arrangement and proportions of the various parts Without departing from the scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

power connection being flexible to permit vertical movement of said boom relative to said frame.

3. In a device of the class described, a frame, means for attaching said'frame to a tractor or the like, a boom connected to said frame for vertical and horizontal movement relative thereto, a wheeled under carriage connected to said frame and movable vertically relative thereto, a power device extending above the connection between said boom and said frame, said power device being supported by said frame and said under carriage and being movable relative to said frame, and a second'power device supported by said frame and having connections with said` boom to shift the saine horizontally, and the connection between said second power device and said boom being iiexible to permit vertical shifting movement of said boom relative to said power device.

NICHOLAS J. SCHUSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are oi record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,777,907 Bearland Oct, 7, 1930 2,126,597 Zeilman Aug. 9, 1938 2,183,263 Le Tourneau n-- Dec. 12, 1939 2,341,007 Woomer -I Feb. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 427,292 Germany Mar. 31, 1926 

